SCC Press Release

SCC’s TRIO Program Receives $367K to Serve First Generation and Low Income Students

Southeastern Community College awarded $367,000 to fund its TRIO Student Support Services program annually over the next five years. The funds will be shared with Carl Sandburg College, CSC, in Illinois. The award is a re-funding of the two colleges’ existing programs.

SCC’s TRIO Student Support Services program serves students who are first-generation college students or who meet federal low-income guidelines. It focuses on providing intensive services for first year participants and extensive academic advising to facilitate increased graduation and transfer rates of participants. In addition to individualized academic advising, services include transfer advising and assistance, tutoring, scholarships, access to technology, college visits, cultural trips and workshops that help students meet their academic goals.

In general, the TRIO SSS program is critical to retaining, graduating and facilitating the successful transfer of eligible SCC students who may benefit from academic assistance or support to achieve their dream of earning a bachelor’s degree.

The TRIO Student Support Services program at Southeastern Community College, operating in association with Carl Sandburg College in Illinois, builds on more than 20 years of cooperation between the two institutions to expand educational services in the rural areas of eastern Iowa and western Illinois. These areas have high levels of poverty and unemployment and a low rate of graduation from 4-year colleges and universities compared to statewide trends in Iowa and Illinois.

Vice President of Student Services Joan Williams says that receiving continued funding for a long-established program like TRIO isn’t always a guarantee, especially in current economic times.

“This year we were cautiously-optimistic because there was limited funding available from the Department of Education. But with the success we’ve shown in the past with this program and the need that is demonstrated throughout our area, we were again able to secure these funds to serve our students.”

SCC’s TRIO SSS program serves 125 eligible students every year. Collectively, the SCC-CSC consortium program serves 250 students annually, all of whom share the goal of earning a bachelor’s degree after graduating from their respective community college.